Value Village ／ Beauty
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
"Sensitive skin" (敏感肌, binkan-hada) is printed on a great many product labels in Japanese drugstores (Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Welcia, etc.), but it is not a medically defined category. That single fact changes how you should think about choosing products for it.
In other words, a "for sensitive skin" label is a label aimed at a condition that has no definition. Whether a product suits you cannot be known until you try it.
[Verify] The percentages and the doctors' survey are based on the SCCJ glossary, a private-sector survey and medical information websites. Before publication, check the sources and survey years and name the survey organisations.
The label is a guide. It does not mean the product suits every person. The Japanese wording to look for is "low irritation" (低刺激, tei-shigeki).
Origin and irritation are separate matters. Naturally derived products can also disagree with your skin.
Cutting steps helps in some cases, but it cannot be said to work every time.
Before using a new product, trying it on an inconspicuous patch of skin is recommended. Precisely because the condition has no definition, testing is the only way to know.
Do not keep using a product on the assumption that your skin will adapt. Stop using it and see a board-certified dermatologist at a dermatology clinic (皮膚科, hifuka; covered by Japanese health insurance). If there are visible symptoms, that is not "sensitive skin"; it is something for a dermatologist to look at.
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https://www.sccj-ifscc.com/library/glossary_detail/1465
https://www.dermatol.or.jp/qa/
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou-11120000-Iyakushokuhinkyoku/kesyouhin_hanni_20111.pdf
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Cosmetics are not medicines and are not meant to diagnose, heal or prevent any condition. If your skin reacts, stop using the product and see a dermatologist.
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